Without clear standards, there is a risk that innovators working on robotics and automated systems for horticulture may focus their efforts away from the UK, and growers investing in such technologies may not be able to insure them, according to a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) review.
Optimised production systems, packhouse automation and field rigs and mechanical systems used for harvesting and husbandry are the three technology ‘clusters’ ready for mass adoption in UK horticulture, the report’s authors noted.
Three further clusters – autonomous selective harvesting, augmented work and autonomous crop protection, monitoring and forecasting – are currently in development pipelines, from prototypes to being used in field trials, they said.
Range of issues stand in way of progress
However, the review found that despite the considerable potential for these technologies to be applied in UK horticulture, there are a lot of barriers that need to be overcome in order to achieve mainstream uptake.
Without clear standards, such innovations still require direct human supervision, which is not commercially scalable, the review’s authors stressed. Clear guidelines around health and safety and data security are also needed to ensure broad confidence in robotics and automation.
Lack of access to knowledge for those working in the sector was said to be a key issue, attributed to the fragmented nature of horticulture, a lack of independent robotics and automation information and business support, and inconsistent messaging.
High cost, low collaboration
The cost of making a move to move automation remains off-putting for growers, the authors concede. Uncertain production contracts and policy support mean producers are often hesitant to invest in these technologies, while raising capital can be an issue.
There are further problems with the development pipeline, they note, with product designers not always familiar with the specific needs of their potential customers. Fragmentation on this supply-side, too, means that there is currently a lack of information-sharing and collaboration.
There is a need to change the fact that many horticultural practices are geared towards human workers, the authors continued, with growing architecture and infrastructure also currently not optimal for automation.
Robots compliment, not replace, human workers
The review was designed to work alongside the UK Government’s Seasonal Workers Pilot, through which non-EU workers were recruited to work in the UK’s horticulture sector for up to six months in 2019 and 2020, in an attempt to address widespread staffing shortages.
“We recognise that robotic systems are expensive to develop and tend to be designed to replicate a limited range of human tasks,” said Professor Simon Pearson of Lincoln University, who co-chaired the review.
“On this basis, it is likely that robotic development will focus on the larger crops or where the cost of automation is relatively low, and many tasks and crop groups may never be automated.”
Supporting continued progress
Recommendations include ensuring a secure labour force to bridge the gap before widespread adoption of automation, a government-backed consortium to share knowledge and decrease fragmentation, and providing targeted support to cutting-edge technologies such as robotic crop harvesters.
“We support the report’s recommendations as collaboration and additional funding in this area are needed,” said Duncan Ross of Agri-EPI Centre.
“Dedicated government funding can de-risk technology development, encourage further private investment and speed up technological solutions around areas of harvesting which are harder to achieve but will have greater impact on labour resource availability.”
